'The bigger the game, the better he plays.' Adou Thiero is stepping up when Kentucky needs him

Due to a nagging back injury, Adou Thiero has only played in 17 of Kentucky’s 25 games this season. But when he’s healthy enough to be out there on the court, it doesn’t take long for his presence to be felt.

The 6-foot-8 sophomore might still be growing at this stage. He’s Kentucky’s most physical player and arguably the most athletic. Whether he’s throwing down dunks, grabbing rebounds 12 feet out of the air, or swatting shots off the backboard, Thiero will make himself known in some way.

That’s especially true when the lights are the brightest.

So far this season, Thiero is averaging 7.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per outing. He’s shooting 48.4 percent from the field and has improved his three-point shooting compared to his freshman campaign in 2022-23. Those numbers won’t exactly stick out to anyone, but let’s take a closer look at some of the stats. When it comes to important matchups for Kentucky, Thiero’s game elevates to another level.

For instance, Thiero has just five games this season with at least nine points. But those five games have come against Tennessee, Miami (FL), Auburn, Gonzaga, and Kansas. Four of those five currently rank among KenPom’s Top 20. The only one that doesn’t — Miami (FL) — came into Rupp Arena as a top 10 team in the AP Poll.

Thiero was impressive in all of them.

Put him on a POSTER @Adou_Thiero 🙀 pic.twitter.com/jRUzFGsFkL

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 17, 2024

Granted, Kentucky went 2-3 in those five games, but Thiero was hardly the reason for any of the losses. Even against North Carolina on Dec. 16 when he finished with just seven points, his career-high four blocks played a significant role in UK’s big win. He always seems to show up when Kentucky needs him the most.

• Feb. 3 vs. Tennessee: 9 points (1-3 FG; 7-8 FT), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 23 minutes
• Nov. 28 vs. Miami (FL): 9 points (4-5 FG), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 28 minutes
• Feb. 17 @ Auburn: 14 points (4-8 FG; 6-6 FT), 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 33 minutes
• Feb. 10 vs. Gonzaga: 15 points (6-11 FG), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 32 minutes
• Nov. 14 vs. Kansas: 16 points (5-10 FG; 5-6 FT), 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 31 minutes

“What we miss with Adou is a big game changer. He seems to be at his best in big games,” Kentucky assistant coach John Welch said during Tuesday’s press conference. “The bigger the game, the better he plays. And he just gives us a different level of athleticism that we miss when he’s not there. Getting tough rebounds, scoring tough baskets by the rim. We do miss that. And again, he gives us just a physical presence.”

In the other 12 games Thiero has played this season (11 if we include North Carolina), he’s been semi-productive at best — against mostly non-conference opponents too. He scored five points against New Mexico State, six against Penn, Marshall, and Stonehill, and seven against UNC-Wilmington and St. Joseph’s. That’s not the case when a quality opponent is on the other side and he’s playing extended minutes.

Another thing you might notice from Thiero’s five best games this season is that three of them have come during the month of February. Two of them happened in UK’s last three outings. After sitting out for over a month from late December to late January due to his back, Thiero has only continued to improve ever since.

That shouldn’t be much of a shock though. We have to remind ourselves that Thiero has only been playing at his current height and weight since arriving in Lexington. He didn’t even clock 200 college minutes as a freshman last season (he’s at 385 so far in 2023-24). His development is happening at an entirely different rate than his teammates.

Thiero is still very, very raw, which might be the most exciting part of his future. What happens if he grows another inch or two and starts knocking down 3s consistently?

“I think you see with the Adous and Ugos [Ugonna Onyenso], the more they play, the better they’ll play,” Welch said.

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